Mighty Thor Faces a Big Challenge From the Gods

She wrestles with fighting gods and what it means to be a god

When the gods are fighting each other, ’tis best to get out of their way. That is Thor’s current predicament in Mighty Thor#16.

The thunder goddess was previously kidnapped and delivered to the Shi’ar gods Sharra and K’ythri. Wanting to flaunt their dominance over their Norse rival, the pair challenges Thor to a contest. While Thor has no interest in these godly games, the Shi’ar threaten to destroy Earth, leaving the goddess little choice.

Writer Jason Aaron deftly handles the divine dialogue among the three through a combination of highbrow philosophy with some lowbrow humor thrown in. “So begins the kicking of thine hindquarters,” Thor says at one point. But Aaron’s words break new ground for a comic book series as Mighty Thor wrestles with the nature of being a god.

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Not All Gods are Equal

The Shi’ar gods have little regard for their worshippers. They are merely pawns in a game. Thor knows about suffering all too well, as her alter ego Jane Foster is dying of cancer. She risks her life to defend the people Sharra and K’ythri put into harm’s way because it’s the right thing to do–even though they don’t pay tribute to her.

Artist Russell Dauterman and colorist Matthew Wilson make a great tag team. There are magnificent close-up battles from Dauterman. And Wilson clearly delineates the many worlds we visit in this issue, from the pastels of the Shi’ar’s M’Kraan Palace to the earth tones of the Asgardian throne room to the blackness of deep space.

But it’s the richness of the characters–particularly the female ones in Thor and Sif–that make the story special. Thor’s quest to accept the burden of being a god–and to cure herself–make the series worth following.

Tom Smithyman is a newspaperman turned marketing executive. A comic book enthusiast since the 70s, he tries to keep up with these alternate realities while juggling a professional career, family, community theater roles and passion for travel. Connect with him @tsmithyman and linkedin.com/in/tomsmithyman/